Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: I'll Protect You (3)
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I stepped into the light.
Flanking me on either side were Allen and Iriel.
It was a stroke of luck that the ringleaders appeared to be gathered in one place.
Shing.
They subtly drew their swords, eyeing us strangers warily.
Seeing us in our masks, their faces hardened even more.
“…Who the hell are you?”
“No need to know. Let’s start with a beating.”
At my nod, Allen and Iriel sprang forward like coiled springs. Their movements had clearly become more fluid thanks to all that training.
It wasn’t just from reaching Expert level—it was thanks to Nederman’s solid instruction.
That guy’s got a real talent for teaching.
I watched Allen and Iriel closely.
The fight was one-sided.
Allen’s massive frame moved with surprising grace as he thrust out his fist.
Thwack! Thwack!
Crisp impacts rang out in succession.
The sound of watermelons splitting echoed from the jaws of those struck by his heavy punches.
Two of them crumpled with stifled groans.
Meanwhile, Iriel displayed feather-light footwork.
Dodging a sword, she leaped into the air, spun once, and smashed her heel down onto the man’s crown.
Crack!
“Gurk!”
The guy didn’t even manage a proper scream before collapsing face-first, his features smashed.
They were really nothing special.
A short while later.
The men, forcibly roused to consciousness, knelt in a row before me as I lounged on the sofa, bowing their heads.
I spoke.
“Where’s the ledger?”
“Which ledger do you mean…?”
The furry one in the middle asked politely.
I answered by cracking him across the crown.
Whack!
“Gaaah!”
Clutching his head, he rolled across the floor with a scream.
“Get up.”
“Y-yes. Ngh…”
He swallowed his groans and knelt again, eyes bloodshot from enduring the pain.
“Where’s the ledger.”
“In the desk drawer in the back. Second drawer down.”
The rat-like guy next to him spilled it without hesitation. He instinctively knew he was next.
People like this only use their brains after a taste of violence. Tsk.
Allen, who had been glaring at them fiercely, fetched a book from the bookshelf in the back and brought it over.
I took it and flipped through, skimming the contents.
“It’s the ledger recording those who volunteered for the Governor-General’s conscription.”
“Conscription?”
“Not as soldiers, exactly. We were selecting people to work for the Empire—”
I smashed the rat-like guy’s head as he explained proudly.
Whack!
“Gaaah!”
This time, he rolled across the floor screaming.
“This bastard toying with me?”
I tossed the book at him.
Even a glance at the open page showed it wasn’t the list of volunteers.
The flounder-like guy spoke up.
“There should be another ledger in the drawer.”
He flashed an awkward smile and bowed low.
“Looks like he grabbed the wrong one.”
I glanced back to see Allen flinch.
He must’ve just grabbed the first thing he touched.
Anyway.
I smashed the smirking flounder-like guy’s head hard.
Whack!
“Gaaah!”
“So what now?”
Allen darted back to the desk and returned with another book.
This one was the ledger I wanted.
I skimmed it.
From the first round to the third.
A good number of names were listed.
Among them were Daisy’s—and her brother Als’s.
“Where’s the destination?”
“Huh?”
“Where were you planning to take them?”
Under my icy glare, the furry one spilled everything without resistance. No sign of any resolve to keep secrets.
“We were going to take them to the Wiruan Merchant Group’s headquarters.”
“Where’s that?”
“In the capital.”
The capital.
Perfect.
That was our destination too.
“What happens when they get there?”
“We don’t know the details… Our job ends with escorting them that far.”
“I see.”
I nodded as I looked down at him.
I could practically hear the gears turning in his head. He was scared that telling the truth would get him killed.
“How many arms do you have?”
“…T-two.”
“Then you’ve got two chances to tell the truth from now on. Oh, four if we count your legs.”
“…”
At my threat to cut off a limb for every lie, he flattened himself on the floor and shouted.
“I’m sorry! Please forgive me just this once!”
“Tell me everything you know.”
“…I really don’t know the full details. But they’ll probably end up as slaves under the Governor-General, scattered across Francia. The merchant group handles distributing them. The men mostly go to mines digging mana stones or to the battlefields, and the women to labor or the front lines—”
Just as I’d suspected.
The Empire was currently at war with the Ariana Kingdom on Francia’s southeast border.
They needed labor everywhere.
Forcing conscription would spark backlash, so they pulled tricks like this.
These guys were filthy through and through.
I said,
“So the Governor-General’s office is really involved in this?”
“…Yes.”
“Oh dear.”
I shook my head regretfully and stood.
“Looks like there was a misunderstanding between us.”
“Huh?”
The three of them blinked in unison, eyes wide.
Sensing their chance at survival as my demeanor shifted, they caught on instinctively.
“I thought you were impersonating the Governor-General’s office.”
“...?”
“We’re both subjects of the Empire, after all.”
“Ah—.”
They nodded with short exclamations of realization.
“I haven’t been in Francia long, so I didn’t know. Sorry about that.”
I kindly helped them to their feet and patted their shoulders encouragingly.
Behind me, Allen and Iriel flinched in confusion.
They couldn’t figure out my sudden change.
“We’re headed to the capital ourselves. Perfect timing. Guess we’ll hitch a ride with you.”
“What?!”
The three of them jumped and exclaimed in unison at my words.
I stared at them blankly.
“What? Don’t like it?”
“N-no! We’d be honored to serve you!”
* * *
“What the heck are you planning?!”
Allen whined beside me like a puppy desperate to poop as we walked through the dark city streets after leaving the mansion.
“What do you mean?”
“The roster’s still in their hands! What about Daisy?!”
“No choice. We go with them.”
“What?!”
The two of them gasped in sync and leaped back.
“Take Daisy with us?!”
“What’s your angle here?”
I gestured for the excited pair to calm down.
“First, relax and hear me out.”
“How can I relax in this situ—”
Bam!
“Ow!”
Allen clutched his head and yelped. Iriel snapped back to her senses at the sight.
Good talk never works with them.
I clicked my tongue and explained my plan.
“A merchant group big enough to have its headquarters in the capital—how large do you think it is? And since they’re working with the Governor-General’s office, how deep does their secrecy run?”
Chasing down an operation that size and that covert would take ages.
“But tagging along with them lets us slip right into the heart of it. Simple and convenient, right?”
“Ooh.”
They finally nodded in admiration.
Iriel, impressed by my scheme, clapped lightly and said,
“How’d you think that up so fast?”
I’m not great at everything, but I’m sharp when it comes to stuff like this.
I hate hassle and bother.
Iriel gave me a thumbs-up.
“Talk about cunning.”
Cunning?
“Calling this brilliant stratagem ‘cunning’? That’s why you’ve got a brain but don’t use it right.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?! I’m pretty smart! Very smart!”
Iriel puffed her cheeks and glared. I flicked her forehead.
“That’s what you think.”
“Ugh, seriously!”
While Iriel threw her tantrum, Allen looked grim beside her.
What’s with him?
He sighed deeply alone and said,
“Then Daisy has no choice but to head to the capital too.”
We hadn’t burned the roster with her name or killed them, so yeah.
“We can say it’s to find her brother. She’ll buy that.”
I couldn’t just erase her from the roster out of pity without repercussions.
Even if we did it for free, it’d be too risky.
It wasn’t impossible if we were determined, but it could tie her to us even after everything was over.
Besides, I wasn’t moving just to save her.
I’d drawn my sword for the people of Francia.
My real goal was to take the heads of the Wiruan Merchant Group’s leaders.
Even if some sacrifices happened among them, so be it.
Killing them wouldn’t fully stop the Governor-General’s office, but right now, it was the best way to save the most people.
“You explain it to her.”
“Got it.”
“No rash moves. We’re on their side for now.”
“I’m not an idiot. I know it’s necessary.”
As Allen pouted, I said,
“An idiot who knows he’s an idiot isn’t really an idiot.”
“…Are you calling me an idiot right now?”
“Asking that proves you are.”
Allen exploded at my words.
“I’m not an idiot!”
* * *
A pitch-black night, even the moonlight obscured.
Having forced her parents—who insisted on waiting with her—into bed, Daisy paced anxiously in the courtyard, waiting for Allen.
How much time had passed?
She spotted a faint shadow approaching from afar.
“Allen?”
The shadow slowly emerged into the light.
It was Allen, the one she’d been desperately waiting for.
“Sorry to keep you.”
“No, it’s fine. Are you hurt anywhere?”
Daisy scanned Allen worriedly all over. His clothes were spotless, as if nothing had happened, but there was an injury.
She looked at him with pitying eyes.
“There’s a bump on your forehead…”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing. Happens all the time.”
“It’s not serious, right?”
“Nah. Don’t worry.”
Allen couldn’t bring himself to say it was from Jenes hitting him.
“…Yeah. A hot compress should help.”
“Thanks for caring. Anyway, we met those guys.”
Allen told Daisy everything that had happened at the mansion, sparing no details. She listened calmly throughout.
“We could’ve burned the roster, but to infiltrate the Wiruan Merchant Group easily, we had no choice.”
“You did well. But can just the three of you handle it?”
Daisy wasn’t as anxious as expected; she accepted the situation with composure.
Allen nodded and said,
“It’s doable for sure. Aren’t you scared?”
“…No choice. We can’t let more people end up like me. I’m actually grateful. If things went wrong, I might never have seen my parents again… As long as you come back safe, brother.”
“Don’t worry. Once we’re at the Wiruan Merchant Group, we’ll find out where they took him. I’ll help.”
“Thank you.”
Daisy gazed up at Allen quietly.
His steadfast eyes filled her with trust.
What would’ve happened if she hadn’t met him?
The thought alone was horrifying.
He said,
“Just trust me.”
Seeing Daisy stare at him, Allen burned with resolve to protect her no matter what.
“I’ll keep you safe.”
To convey his sincerity and reassure her, Allen carefully circulated his Bluff Divine Art.
The air around them grew heavy, his presence expanding massively.
It worked perfectly.
The subtle Bluff Divine Art made him seem not threatening, but reliably sturdy.
To Daisy, Allen felt like a towering fortress wall.
With him by her side, she’d be perfectly safe—an absolute belief that melted her anxiety like snowflakes.
She nodded shyly.
“…Okay.”
Seeing her like that, Allen smiled warmly.
He was putting the Bluff Divine Art Jenes taught him to good use.
In a way completely different from what was intended.
‘…I’ll keep this from Jenes.’
He wasn’t a fool.